Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1017146
C T A H A S A long and distinguished record as a champion for pub- lic education, educators and students. It has made sure educators have a voice in teaching and learning, and a seat at the table to negotiate better learning and working conditions, as well as fair wages and benefits. These days, CTA and its partners are standing up to corporate CEOs and billionaires seeking to privatize and profit off public edu- cation by weakening our union. In fact, it 's n ever been clearer that unions such as CTA are criti- cal to our future. Unions promote fairness and equality for working men and women and their families, collectively enabling us to counter corporate special interests that have rigged the economy in their favor. " For 155 years, C TA h a s b e en standing up for w orking people, our students and the communities we serve," says CTA President Eric Heins. " We've always stood firmly in the way of those wanting to make profits out of public education coffers. And we always will." Despite the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Janu s v. AFSCME, which overturned a 41-year-old ruling allowing fair share fees, CTA will continue to advocate for all students, for public edu- cation, and for educators and their families. S t a n d w i t h C T A a n d s p r e a d t h e m e s s a g e . G o t o cta.org/unionstrong for social media shareables and posters you can use to let others know : "I'm sticking with my union!" CTA's Advocacy Learn more about CTA's track record of advo- cacy at cta.org/150. And get the tools and resources you need, such as the posters above, to fight for public education at cta.org/unionstrong. #unionstrong Say YES to your union! #UnionStrong 48 cta.org Advocacy Fight Back Against Privatizers I N M O V E S T H A T are anti-worker and anti-student, public school privatizers are aggressively working to dismantle the employment rights of public school teachers in California and throughout the country. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy, with its "My Pay My Say " campaign, has been flooding public school teachers nation- wide with emails advising them how to leave their unions. The Freedom Foundation has taken out Facebook ads targeting CTA members to drop their union membership and sent representatives door-to-door to convince them. These organizations, along with Choice for Teachers, the California Association of Educators, and the California Teachers Empowerment Network, are fronts for public education privatizers who want to weaken our union. "Some groups will try to discredit us and confuse you," says CTA President Eric Heins. "Don't be confused. Stand with us for stu- dents and the middle class." In states where these forces have taken away the freedoms of union members, sala- ries are lower, pensions are diminished, and rights are stripped away. Don't be fooled • Beware of emails, Facebook ads, websites and people dispensing false and misleading information. • Research where the content is coming from. • Talk to colleagues and members about deceptive campaigns and information, and spread the facts and truth instead. • Report contacts to your chapter leader or CTA staff person. • Learn how to mark fallacious email as spam and report it, and get more resources and tools, at cta.org/unionstrong.